Jackies POV

Sht, my head hurt. It was throbbing from where the bottle had hit me, I put my hand over it, I read somewhere that if you but pressure to….to….something, it'll stop, it was a first aid thing. I felt something lift me off the ground and Johnny split into two, then there was only one of him, then two.

"We're… two… Curds" the Johnny's said. What? I am not a curd! I'm not what sure a curd is though. It's off a nursery rhyme……I think….where a girl's eating her curds and whey….that's right, it's sour milk. I don't like sour milk. It's icky.

"Curds are yuck" I told Johnny. Then things sorta went black…..

Charlene's POV

"You know you want to tell me"

A pair of greeney-grey eyes blocked my vision of the magazine I was reading. Pony had been drilling me about what had happened in my room with Jackie before. He was currently hanging over the side of the couch with his (upside-down) eyes an inch away from mine.

"No, Pony, if Jackie wants you to know, then she'd tell you" His eyes blinked.

"I bet ya if she was here she'd tell me, so you might as well tell me anyway"

"PONY! Will you put more wood on the fire please?" Darry called from the kitchen. Pony huffed and did so.

"Just tell me please!" Pony whined, sitting on my feet once he had done the wood. "It used to be my room, and I should know what goes on in my old room."

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP KID!" Dally yelled from the kitchen. "I'm trying to concentrate!" he added.

"Pony! Get off my feet!"

"Not until you tell me!"

"I'm serious, Pony! You're startin' to piss me off!" I sat up quickly, and my toes were starting to get numb, I hate that feeling, it feels as if they're gonna fall off.

"What you gonna do? You're just a girl" He laughed.

I rolled my magazine up and bopped him sharply on the head. He was about to retaliate but stopped when we heard Dally saying "Who the fuck invented two different flours!"

Pony and I silently agreed to investigate.

We walked into the kitchen to see the most amazing thing. Dally reading a cooking book with flour on his face, egg yolk on his jeans and Darry trying hard not to laugh.

Dally glared at us and simply said "Tell anyone, and die."

At that moment, Johnny banged through the door, carrying an unconscious Jackie. Darry ran up to him and helped him put Jackie on the couch, which everyone else ran up to.

"He threw a bottle at her, and it hit her on the head, and she fell out the window, and now she's like…..not awake." Johnny said in a big rush. In spite of me being the caring friend of the unconscious person lying on the couch, I realised that Johnny looked…sorta…..cute. When water's dripping from his hair, and he's got a worried/protective look in his eyes, he looks……. I dunno.

"She may have concussion, we should get medical consultancy though." Darry said. Pony raced to the phone, and paused with his finger above the dial, he looked at us all and asked

"What's the number for nine-one-one again?"

Pony's POV

Why was everyone giving me dirty looks?

"Don't you ever use your head?" Darry and Dally both said at the same time.

"It's 911, Pony" Char said.

"Thanks"

Jackie's POV

OW! My head! It's throbbing! I opened my eyes. I was in a big double bed…..Oh, God! Did I sleep with someone!

Charlie's head poked through the door.

"Charlie! Thank God! Where are we?"

"Hey, it's ok, we're in Darry's room. And don't get so panicked, the doctor said you had mild concussion, and that you just need rest. So just go to sleep please."

"Oh, um, I don't want to be a nuisance, I'll just grab the couch or-"

"No, you stay there."

I didn't bother listening to her, I got out of Darry's blankets and tried to make his bed again as best as I could.

"Fine, if you won't stay in Darry's bed, sleep in mine." I was happy with that.

"Char? Have you….erm….you know…..got the stuff of Darry yet?"

Charlie just gave me this blank look.

"What stuff? I think you better get some sleep-"

"Girl stuff"

"Oooohhhhh, that stuff. Erm, not yet, I'll go ask now, you better go to sleep."

Charlie's POV

The rain had stopped by the time Jackie had fallen asleep in my bed, which was a lot quicker than I had expected.

I walked into the kitchen where Johnny and Dally were trying to figure out how to turn the oven on.

Darry and Pony were leaning against the bench, looking very amused.

"All you have to do is-"

"No! We'll figure it out by ourselves!" Dally cut me off, he was looking more annoyed by the minute.

Well, if he wanted to be like that, he can.

I sidled up to Darry's side shoving Pony aside with my bum in the process.

"Darry, can I borrow some money?" As Pony windmilled his arms wildly.

"What for?" he asked, looking me in the eyes. A loud thump resulted from Pony's fall.

"……Stuff"

"What sort of stuff?"

"Just…stuff"

"I'm not gonna give you money if you won't tell me what sort of 'stuff' you'll get." He never took his eyes of me, and to tell you the truth, it was sort of creeping me out.

"It's girl stuff" I whispered. This alerted every ones attention.

"You need money kid?" Dally asked.

Dally's POV

Darry is clueless. He still doesn't understand what she wants, well, I suppose I did over hear the girls talking about…..the thing…..being due tomorrow.

She nodded, I gave her ten bucks. Then turned my attention back to the oven…..who the hell invented something as complicated as this?

Charli's POV

"I'm going now, I'll be back soon" I said as Dally gave the oven a kick, ignoring Darry's protests of: "Hey! You'll have to pay for any damage! And I'm not going to accept a new stolen one!"

"I'll come" Johnny said. Oh crap.

Johnny's POV

Dally was going to destroy that oven soon, and I didn't want to be around when he did it. So I went with Charlie to get her girly deodorant or whatever girly thing she was gonna get. We walked out of the gate, I stopped when she started walking in the opposite way of the DX.

"Where are you going?"

"To the Deli."

"It's Sunday, only the DX will be open" She sorta paled.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. She shook her head.

We walked for a while in silence until I asked

"How long have you known about Jackie and…the stuff?"

She looked at me with her large, pretty eyes at me that were filled with regret.

"I'm sorry Johnny, I knew before I left for the girls home, I would have told you, but she didn't want me to."

I nodded, then realised it was sort of wrong thinking she had pretty eyes because she and Pony had the same sort.

"What did you need?" I asked, she turned red.

"Just stuff me and Jackie need."

I felt sort of bad that Charli, well, I guess it was Dally, was paying for stuff that Jackie needed.

"What does she need?" I asked, maybe I could find my mums purse and take some money out of that to repay Dally.

"Oh, you know, just….girl stuff"

"Just tell me"

"I'd rather not"

"Please!" She shook her head

"Fine!" We walked in silence to the DX. I figured that I'd find out anyway.

Charlene's POV

When we entered the DX, Johnny deserted me to talk to Steve and Soda who were both goofing around at the registrar. I quickly grabbed a couple of packets of pads, then realised that I'd have to show Soda and Steve what I was getting, I'd forgotten they work the shift after lunch.

I pretended to look at some of the already made cakes, stalling. I took a couple of breaths and tried to casually walk up to the counter. Soda saw me and grinned, losing concentration on the chocolate bars that he was juggling, resulting in each one falling to the ground, one hitting Soda on the head before continuing its journey to the floor. Steve laughed openly, Johnny chuckled and my mouth let out a sort of girlish giggle.

"What ya got there Char?" he asked as he grabbed them for me and started adding up the price on the till.

"Hey, I remember these things!" Soda said after he collected the money, he still held them in his hand. I made a swipe for it, but he held it out of my reach.

"Mum used to get these," he said rather fondly. "I never knew why, and I still don't, so what are these things?" He asked with friendly eyes, I know he doesn't mean to torture me, but he is. Steve grabbed them from him and looked at them with equal interest.

"Hey, we learnt about these things in Health last wee-"

"Yeh that's great" I said grabbing them from Steve and practically running out of the DX. I shoved them under my shirt and tried not to think about what they'd be saying now.

I heard someone running after me; I turned, but saw it was someone just going for a jog, with huge sweat patches under his arms.

I kept walking, wishing I had a bag or something so Darry wouldn't ask what was under Dally's jacket.

"Hey, Char!" Johnny yelled, I turned and saw him jogging after me. He handed me the change and a paper bag. I smiled at him

"Thanks"

"No problem." We walked a bit more in an awkward silence.

"What took you?" I said casually

"Oh, well, um, Steve was telling me and Soda…stuff."

We turned into our gate and up the stairs into the house. I went to my room, avoiding anyone's eye if they happened to be looking. I dumped the bag in my undie draw, and saw that Jackie was still asleep.

I walked back to the lounge room to warm up my hands in front of the fire.

"…..what's wrong with Jackie? Char wouldn't tell me-" Pony stopped talking when I entered.

I glared at Pony, ok, maybe I am being a bit unreasonable…but does he have to be so nosy all the time?

"Later Pony." Mumbled Johnny, he caught my eye, making me extremely uncomfortable in an exhilarating way. His gaze penetrated into my mind, or it felt like it did, he made me nervous. My heart flip-flopped into my throat. My knees went to jelly and my head felt light, I felt a bit dizzy actually.